You Have to Trust It
by kitrala
Summary: AU. Sasukecentric. Finding love when you've never looked before is a PAIN IN THE ASS.itanaru,itasasu,sasuhaku,eventual sasunaru.
1. naruto's two cents

Bjorkfan:

Eh. Living up to the name, now, i think. My fanself of bjork. I mean, she's not the only musical artist i like... far from it. But.. it's a cool sn, yeah. This is my pet project.. i have a direct direction i want this to go, so we'll just have to see if i'll actually DO it. ("do it.. nowwww")... hah hah. n/m.

"you have to trust it" is part of a bjork song called "all is full of love"

this isn't really a songfic. (que: collective sigh of relief) songfics are good in theory but wirtten/typed out..well they aren't doing whatever the author is trying to articulate justice. Paritcularly whenever i try to do one. (why do i even try? It's like your first zit. You really shouldn't pop it.. but you do anyway, because it's been done before.) For a long time i wanted to do this as a songfic but... songs are short, and stories are long and.. really it works better if whoever whomever? It's been awhile since english class reading this actually HEARS the song at the same time.

Not many bjorkfans, i'm sure, out there reading this. But i can pretend. Vainly imagine someone actually nodding their head to this, understanding what the hell i'm trying to convey here in my story. If even then.

Maybe i'll just jot down the lyrics at the end of some chapter or other.

Or i could just do it now ("do it.. noooowwww"), but meh.

Anyway let's hesitantly get this par-tay started.

Disclaimer: i hereby... disclaim.. any rights over Naruto or anything else coz.. i'm broke. Other than my right to listen to odd music, i really cant afford any other rights. :sigh:

Summary: (i hope.) Alternate Universe. Sasuke-centric. Sasuke comes close to something that could possibly bring actual meaning to his life, but to have it blow up in his face. :evil laugh: Finding love when you've never really looked before is rather taxing on the heart. Minors: Ita/Sasu, Ita/Naru, Sasu/Haku. Yeah that's right. It's not as whore-ish as it looks. Eventual Sasu/Naru.. :crosses fingers:

minor note here, (yeah i know, shut up already), this introduction is in Naruto's point of view, first person style. The rest of the story, however, isn't. Just to abate confusion if you weren't one-up on your brain today, which is usually my problem...

okay i'm shutting up now. Celebrate.

* * *

Intro:

I had no idea.  
I think.

If you had told me six months ago that I would be in this situation, I'd have laughed. Laughed and alternately have turned bright red. I would have said, "UCHIHA? Are you kidding?"

If you had told me that Sasuke would be snuggling, **naked**, next to me, dark love marks adorning his pale skin, black hair plastered to his forehaed, smiling, purring even, in his sleep-

If you had told me that my pet cat was a friggen voyer-

If you had told me that my bed would break, not because I was jumping on it, but because me and SASUKE were ..not jumping on it-

If you had told me that I would be the one to make him smile again-

Hah.

But you didn't. And you knew all along, didn't you? You knew we would end up like this, holding each other, trembling and sweaty and ultimately satisfied in the dark. You knew he would be here, fisting into my shirt, making sure I never disappeared. You knew that I would be staring into his lovely face, finally calm, finally free of doubt.

You knew all along.  
And ..I think, maybe I did too.

(well.. except for the cat thing.)

* * *

Um.. coming up next..  
.. the beginning of the story..?

:shrug:

(a/n: anyone else greedily excited about the new Mature ratings for fanfiction dot net? PAH!)


	2. your doors are shut

Meh.. i'll upload this and two at the same time. Yes. That's the plan.

If i get enough reviews expressing at least some sort of mild intrest, i'll continue. If not.. meh. I'll just go and play half-life 2 for a few more months. :shrug:

Okay ..maybe not. Maybe i'll be more dedicated.

Or maybe i'll go and have some oatmeal for breakfast.

I dunno. Anything i do, including writing, is entirely up to my stomach. And..well. your reviews. But mostly my stomach. I'm out of ramen:dies:

Disclaimer: or maybe i should have some vanilla tea.. ooh. With lots of sugar and cream! Screw oatmeal!

* * *

"..._you just aint recieving,  
__your phone is off the hook,  
__your doors are shut..."_

One: **"Your doors are shut."**

Every morning, more of the same. Stumble into bathroom. Morning piss. Stare at self in mirror groggily. Shower. Brush teeth. Gripe at hair for about five minutes. Grab coffee, nod at Itachi, and GO.

There was something unsettling about realizing one was actually comforted by a brainless routine. Sasuke was falling into his rut with ease, and did nothing to prevent it. Monday through Saturday: work. Monday Wednesday, Friday: night school. Paycheck every two weeks, class tests every three.

But, there was a hole in his carefully calculated system. Sunday. On Saturday morning, Sasuke was already worrying about Sunday. He didn't have work or school on that wretched day. His brother always urged him in his weird quiet way to go out- have some fun..."quit being agoraphobic," but Sasuke loathed the idea. Socializing wasn't really.. ever good. Ever.

Friends are potential enemies, potential backstabbers, potential migraines,  
and ultimately potential things to lose.

Sasuke could handle all but the latter. He makes it a point to keep as little anything as possible in his life to lose. Preferably nothing. Though having nothing to lose doesn't necessarily brand him as a risk-taker. In fact, quite the opposite.

Which is why being late seems to wreak havoc on his system. On his way down three flights of apartment complex stairs, work shirt draped over one bare shoulder (a mistake, since he was still wet from his shower and it was a bit cold outside, it being winter), coffee steaming in it's styrofoam cup, Sasuke firmly decided to shut himself inside his house the next day. Seclusion, solitude, and silence. Just like always. So he could avoid any potential disasters such as a moment like this.

Like reflex, Sasuke felt eyes on him, peering through windows and cheap plastic mini-blinds. His skin mentally recoiling at the invisible touches of appreciative glances, goosebumps a combination of extremely cold weather and disturbing stares. It was still pretty early in the morning, but even on a Saturday the cult never slept, it seemed. Sasuke put his coffee on the roof of his car and shrugged into his shirt in a fumbling hurry.

He had overslept today.

Sasuke wondered as he slipped his car key into the door lock, if Itachi had something to do with his alarm suddenly.. disappearing into thin air. Sasuke sat in the worn Honda seat, sipping his coffee (after he remembered he left it on the roof of the car, stupidly) as he turned the ignition. Itachi didn't talk much, and he wasn't one for pranks, but he had his silent ways to throw Sasuke out of his meticulously set routine. His way of saying "calm down for five seconds." Though the desired effects seem to be the opposite.

Sasuke grimly planned to have a talk with his brother later. He sighed. He was going to be.. no. He was already late. Black hair fell into his eyes as he sighed resignedly. There went his perfect record at work. Of course. Sasuke leaned back in the driver's seat, taking another sip of his coffee. No use rushing now. He'd be late no matter what he did.

He rushed anyway.

Driving out of the parking lot, Sasuke made his way to work, guilt and a sense of irritation at the idea of his boss greeting him and his lateness. Perhaps he should call ahead-

Ironically on cue, Sasuke's cellphone rang next to him in the faded passenger seat. Coffee quickly gulped down, and cup discarded in the back seat to be lost forever, Sasuke fumbled with the phone. He absently registered that the phone was exceedingly freezing-ass cold, meaning it had been in the car all night, meaning he'd forgotten to charge it.

It just kept getting better.

"Hello." Sasuke said dully, cheek twitching at the chill of technology on his face.

"Uchiha. Where are you?" His boss, Tsunade, a small electronic rendering of her voice that didn't do justice to the strength and potential _danger_ she posed in person. Sasuke made a grim face, knowing he shouldn't be a smartass as the words left his mouth anyway.

"In my car." Flinch. Smartass.

"Uh huh. Any **idea** when you'll be here?"  
"Soon." Another flinch. A growl from her end.

"You better have a good excuse. I was used to your being on-time."  
"I don't." Another growl. Alright.. one more bit of smartass-ness..

"Un- Tsunade."  
"WHAT."  
"I'm in the parking lot."

Click.

Sasuke didn't know anything about the 'why' or 'how' of his Jerk mechanisms, but it seemed to come naturally, and at the most inappropriate times.

After he parked, Sasuke stretched gracefully out of his car to his full height, shutting the door with his hip. When he glanced briefly thorough the driver's window, he caught a glimpse of his car keys sitting in the seat.

Sasuke knew he locked the door, and even told himself that he had done so the very moment he rattled the handle in vain attempts to get back into the vehicle. With a slump of his shoulders and a defeated sigh, Sasuke glared at his keys which seemed to mock him back in their own cold, metallic way, glinting in the early morning sun. He half-heartedly flipped them off and strolled into the building.

Sasuke worked in a bookstore. Though, the books themselves weren't exactly part of his job. No, he took a more menial job- the coffee shop _inside_ the bookstore. Ahh, coffee. Sasuke smiled only slightly to himself. Coffee was a beautiful thing. Almost nothing could destroy that beauty..

Tsunade was inside, her dislike of Sasuke's lateness etched on her face.

Oh yeah. Tsunade. Crap.

Sasuke's brain made a mental note of what she looked like today. It was automatic. It recorded things on auto-pilot so Sasuke could access information later when needed.

Multiple pony-tails. Green vest. White long sleeved shirt. Khaki skirt. Brown boots of some kind or other. Apron.

Tsunade had had to open the cafe by herself, and there was already a small line of customers waiting to place orders. She was none too pleased. Who on earth went to a bookstore this early in the morning? Sasuke knew. His regulars. As to 'why' the hell would come to a bookstore for their morning brew, he was unaware.

Sasuke nodded shortly at some of the people in line who grumbled their groggy "Gumornin's." They could be as pissy as Sasuke was before they had their coffee, and that was quite a feat. He could almost be proud of them.

"Just stroll right in, why don't you."

Oh yeah. Tsunade. Crap.

"Un. Lemme get my apron."

After a hard-to-ignore glare that read "We'll discuss this later" from his boss, Sasuke began to make coffee. Lattes, chai, cappuccino, you name it- he made it. He was exceptionally good at his work. He didn't really think so, himself- a lot of it was just following recipes and some common sense- but his customers knew better. They loved Sasuke's coffee. They came out of their homes for their very first brew to come from _him_.

Sasuke had a soft spot for the drink to begin with, but there was something else about his job he really.."liked," if he could like anything. It was as if Sasuke was in an alternate universe here, in the early morning part of his shift. He was sick of the stares of other people, eyeing him hungrily, the stupid pick-up lines, the countless schemes to get into his pants... But here, in the morning, when customers came to see him in their groggy half-wakefulness, they only sought one thing from him.

Caffeine.  
Really good tasting, glorious caffeine.

And Sasuke secretly enjoyed that moment when he handed his customer their special order, and they looked to him and smiled tiredly. No lust in their eyes. Just gratefulness. So it was in those few moments where Sasuke felt like he found a loophole in the system of his life. And he wouldn't change it for anything.

Unless, of course, Tsunade decided to intervene.

He could hear her footsteps delicately stomp up behind him.

* * *

Yeah it's short and lame. But really. Plot. It's floating around in there. Trust me.

Coming up next: Tsunade orders Sasuke to "take a fuckin day off," Naruto, Lee, Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru attempt to break into Sasuke's car, and Sasuke vainly attempts at ignoring life-

This and more in our.. MY, rather, next episode of "You Have to Trust It!"

Brought to you by Cheaply Made Fanfics, Inc.

:cries from being overwhelmed by own idiocy:


	3. it's all around you

It's hard to type with cold hands. Specially a chapter this freakin long.

Disclaimer: no, I don't. it should seem rather obvious.

* * *

"_..twist your head around,  
it's all around you._"

Two: **It's all around you**

As much as he'd like to ignore Tsunade, it just wasn't physically possible.

"So why were you late."

No question mark. Rude. He hit the highest setting on a blender to drown her out. She was still there silently asking- no, demanding her question after he had poured the blender's contents into a paper cup. Sasuke sighed. Lid. Straw. Hand to customer. Red T-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers. Multicolored beanie. Goatee. Glasses.

"Alarm didn't go off. Three-ninety-five, please."  
"Did you set it?"

**Pet Peeve number 1:** Pointless questions.

Sasuke glared at his customer, but only because he was in his direct line of sight. Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Of course I set it. One-oh-five's your change. Thanks."  
"Was it plugged in?"

Sasuke nearly snarled at the new customer. The customer looked back and forth between the grim-faced Sasuke and his lurking boss.

"OY, old hag. Quit asking stupid questions and make me a vanilla creme!"  
"Shut up Brat! I'm having an important conversation!"  
"Ugh. You. Tall or Grande."  
"Grande, Sasuke-bastard. You know I like 'em big."

**Pet Peeve number 2:** Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke glared at his customer, his eye twitching.

"Don't gimme that look. I'm always here on Saturdays, so you should be used to my graceful presence by now."

He was right. Naruto _was_ there every Saturday morning. But so were Lee, Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru in line behind him. They all came to torture him on Saturdays. As if classes with him at the community college weren't enough. These people were the closest to whatSasuke could call 'Friends,' and he wasn't proud of it, either. In fact, they were more like parasites. Tapeworms. They hung around for the ride and the free food. Or discounted coffee-products, whichever the case may be.

Sasuke automatically took in Naruto's appearance, as he always did with new surroundings, and squinted. The blonde was wearing a very obnoxiously orange hooded sweatshirt, and.. some pants. Sasuke didn't get to the pants. He was blinded by the sweatshirt first. He dimly noted orange fingerless gloves and orange streaks in the tousled hair.

**Pet Peeve number 3:** obnoxious color-coordination. Usually associated with peeve number 2.

"Colorful, as usual, Uzumaki."  
"Quit calling me by my last name. You sound like Coach Gai."

Sasuke proudly kept himself from shuddering at the comparison to the FREAK the two had had back in high school.

"OOOHHHH did somebody mention GAI-SENSEI?"

Correction- the _three_ had had back in high school.

"You are so troublesome."  
"AND LOUD!"  
"Shut up Ino-pig! This is a bookstore!"

Sasuke was about ready to break the counter whose edge he was gripping. Tightly. With white knuckles. He could feel the beginnings of a headache brewing like already-used grounds underneath his left temple.

"So why didn't your alarm go off, then! Here's your stinking Vanilla Creme you brat. That'll be three-seventy-five!"  
"WHAAAAAT! Full price?"  
"That's for calling me an old HAG!"

Yep. Headache had surfaced.

"Oy, Naruto. Hurry up. I want my coffee."  
"Hang on Shikamaru. Since when are you ever in a hurry? Anyway, Old Hag, I'm the one that changed Sasuke-bastard's alarm clock."

The blonde looked pleased with himself. Particularly after glancing off-handedly at the look on Sasuke's face. At first, it was horror. Then blankness. Then disgust.

What the fuck had Naruto been doing in his house? Oh.. right. Itachi's new "subject." Sasuke shuddered. The idea of Naruto and his older brother in the same thought process was sickening. Naruto's changing of his alarm settings disgustingly made sense.

Sasuke missed the next couple of minutes. His body took over while his mind crawled into a corner and slit it's wrists repeatedly. Itachi was a photographer. Once upon a time Sasuke's brother stopped by at work while Naruto was ordering his usual vanilla creme. Itachi asked if he knew that "stunning blonde" and Sasuke immediately knew he wasn't talking about Ino. Itachi's personal life had suddenly overlapped Sasuke's, and he had been disturbed ever since.

Itachi specialized in nude photography.  
Itachi had also specialized in taking Naruto to bed. Often. While Sasuke was home.

**Pet Peeve number 4:** Naruto screaming his brother's name at inopportune moments of ANYTIME.

When Sasuke's mind and body finally re-merged, he found he was serving the end of the line, Shikamaru. Sasuke could tolerate Shikamaruthe most, mainly because the ever-scowling young man always said what Sasuke himself was thinking.

"Naruto. Shut the FUCK up. You're giving me a headache!"  
"The usual?"

Shikamaru looked tired. Of course, he always looked tired, so it was hard to tell if he was already awake this morning, or is just half-asleep all day to begin with. He rubbed a fishnet-covered arm to ward of the chill of outside. Green shirt. Black jeans. New tattoo on inside of right arm.

"Please."

After he served Shikamaru, Sasuke blearily looked at his boss, who was sipping some brew or other, leaning on a counter behind him. She was giving him a pointed look.

"What."  
"Go home."  
"..Pardon?"  
"Take a fucking day off. You look like hell." Sip.

Sasuke blinked. Wasn't she about to tell him off for being late ten minutes ago? Before his brain could pursue it, his body took over yet again and untied his apron for him. Even hung it up on the rack. Case closed.

Okay, fine. He'd go home. He'd drive home, collapse in his bed, and sleep until Monday.

The thought of his car reminded him to the fact that he was locked out of it. Sasuke hung his head defeated. He grabbed a wire hanger originally used for hanging aprons but altogether unused, and sulked out from behind the cafe's counter, trudging to his car. In the back of his mind, he berated himself for showing such an unusual amount of emotion via body language in public, but the front, sides, and any other parts of his mind ignored it.

"Sasuke? Where're ya goin ol chum?"

Why did Naruto have to talk like random brands of Idiot with every sentence? And why did it always sound like he was making fun of Sasuke no matter how idiotic his words were? CURSE YOU Uzumaki, for making Sasuke's life hell, when he just wanted to go sulk in his _own_ stupidity in peace. In peace in a relatively orange-less environment.

"I was given the day off."

WHAT. Why did he just say that? Is the body in charge again? What happened to his sense of privacy? His sense of _Never Tell People Anything So They Can't Bug The Living Hell Out Of You? _He must be tired.

"Ooooh. You should come hang out with us! You could meet-"  
"No. No I shouldn't. Done."

Good job. That's how it should go.

Sasuke continued to trudge his way through aisles of books to the double-doors of the building. Unfortunately for him, five people bearing various types of caffeine followed him. They followed him while TALKING.

"Oh come on. You never have fun. What's gonna happen?" Naruto pursued, head of the line of sheep.

"My head will explode from overexposure to your face," Is what Sasuke SHOULD have said. Instead he went right along with the conversation that Naruto was supplying. He opened the doors, and meandered to his car, sighing.

"Nothing."  
"Exactly. You're not gonna die or anything. Lighten up."  
"I don't care."  
"SEE! So what's the big deal? Besides you gotta meet-"  
"Sasuke-kun? Why are you sticking a hanger in your car window?"

Indeed, they followed him through the parking-lot, to his car, where he darkly admitted to them via actions-with-coat-hanger that he had locked himself out of it.

Lee was first.  
"Sasuke, please allow me to break into your car." He held out his hand and Sasuke reluctantly deposited a now-warped coat hanger.

"Break into...?" Ino was a little slow this morning. Shikamaru helped her out.

"Ino. Keys are sitting in the seat."  
"But is this even Sasuke's car?"

Everyone paused in silence. Lee's fiddling with the coat hanger momentarily froze. They all looked at him expectantly.

"Ahhh hello? Look at all the little slips of paper with phone numbers sitting in the passenger seat. Of COURSE it's the Bastard's car. Who else would get so many numbers?"

Why, this could almost be pleasant if Naruto just wasn't _here_.

"Heeeeyyy! That's MY number Sasuke-kun!"  
"Sakura?"  
"Oh, sorry Lee! It was ..ahh.. before I started dating you!"

Sasuke was beginning to wonder if they forgot he was standing there. Everyone took turns trying to break into his car with little results- Shikamaru had managed to roll down the window a bit, but not low enough to reach the keys or to stick a hand in. Naruto hadn't even bothered.. it appeared to Sasuke that he was enjoying the whole scene. Sasuke couldn't help but glare at him. It came so naturally.

"What? I didn't do anything this time," Naruto said sincerely. Which was creepy. He sighed and took the hanger from Ino.

"HEEY!"  
"Do you guys realize I pretty much lock myself out of my car at least twice a week? Let a pro handle it, yeah?"  
"Not something you should be proud about, Dobe."  
"Yeah well look who can't get into their own car, and then look at me." And with that, Naruto did some weird little flick of his wrist and there was a slight pop. The door swung open almost happily, as if greeting the six people with perky gusto.

Silence.

Sakura brushed it off fastest. She was good at ignoring the antics of Naruto Uzumaki- something that made Sasuke green with envy.

"Ahh! You guys! Haku's probably waiting for us, we're so late!"

There was a collective gasp of "Oh, yeah. Crap!" And the company began heading towards their respective vehicles and spouting their respective farewells.

"See ya later, Sasuke. Pick up the pace Shika! You lazy-ass!"  
"I'm sure we'll bug you in class on Monday. Quit dragging me."  
"Bye Sasuke-KUN!"  
"Goodbye, Sasuke. Take care. Sakura...c'mon..time to go. Let's go.. Sakura?"  
"Bye Sasuke-KUN!"  
"Sakura..let's GO."  
"By Sasuke-KUN!"  
"BIG FOREHEAD GIRL. HAKU. LET'S GO."  
"OOOoh! Haku! Okay okay I'm coming! Bye Sasuke-KUN!"

Naruto hung back, because he noticed the confused look on Sasuke's face.

"Hak-who?"  
"Ha-KU. It's what I've been trying to tell you all morning. You should meet him. He's cool."  
"Uhn.. no thanks."

"No really-" Naruto handed him the bent coat hanger, "..you could probably use that two or three more times. It's a nice one. Hang on to it for a sec. Anyway, he reminds me a lot of you. .. well. Except he's not a jackass. And..he's not sarcastic all the time. And.. okay so actually he's the exact opposite of you-"

"So he's like you. Ha. No thanks."

Sasuke began to climb into his car, unsure what to do with the hanger.

"I can see where you're going with that, but actually, he's nothing like me either." Naruto bent over the edge of the open door and pressed the unlock button. He then went around to the passenger side and opened the door.

"What.. are you doing?"  
"Cleaning off your seat filled with probably very _hot_ women's numbers, so I can sit in it."

Sasuke's brain went through all kinds of questions. Why was he getting into his car? Why was he LETTING him?

"Why?"

Naruto sat with a slight squeak of the seat. He looked over at Sasuke, nonchalantly.

"I'm locked out of my car. I think you should drive me to it. It's on the other end of the parking lot."  
"So, basically, you're a lazy ass."

Naruto leaned the seat back a little and got comfortable. He took the bent-up hanger from Sasuke.

"Yeah and I really like this hanger."

Sasuke sighed. Best to not fight it.

They drove in relative silence during the 20-second trip. When Sasuke parked again (annoyed), he found the blonde fiddling with his cellphone. God. Now what.

"Don't gimme that look. I can see it out the corner of my eye."  
"I could just kill you. But it's messier."  
"It sure is, and I'm grateful." He handed Sasuke his phone. He glanced at it in his hands. It displayed a phone number, email address, and the name Naruto.

"That guy, Naruto, dunno if you've heard of him, is gonna be with me all day. You should give him a call. He knows some cool people."

Sasuke grimaced. That's why he wanted in his car. Besides the hanger. Idiot. He looked over to his right to retort, but Naruto was already shutting the door. He dully watched with minimal interest as the blonde broke into his own beat-up white Nissan 280zx, and in the span of about 10 seconds, he was in his car, waving at Sasuke with a cheesy grin.

It was strangely quiet during Sasuke's ride home. And he couldn't quite understand why he wouldn't be used to silence by now, seeing as he preferred it any other time of day. The absence of the five tormentors, and particularly Naruto, made the drive achingly quiet. Sasuke turned on the radio. It didn't help.

Trudging up the stairs to his and Itachi's apartment, his silent mind only thought of one thing: Sleep. Was Sasuke really tired? Not really, no. Sleep just felt like a good way to recuperate after a long, hard, short morning.

Sasuke didn't remember going to bed, falling onto it with a flop. He didn't remember his aniki coming in, asking if he was alright. He didn't remember telling him "no," and Itachi shutting the curtains to his windows and flipping off the light, bathing him in utter darkness.He didn't remember any dreams, any noises, any thing. All he knew was that when he woke up, it was five in the evening, and someone was banging on the door.

At first, he thought the phone was ringing. Which was weird because Naruto banging on the door sounded nothing like the phone ringing. Which was also weird because Naruto wasn't even banging on the door. Naruto wasn't even within a five-mile radius of the door. It was Itachi, lightly knocking on the door, asking if Sasuke was awake.

Sasuke wasn't exactly awake, and doubted if he was even half-awake if he thought that Itachi rapping on the door sounded like Naruto banging on the door that sounded like his phone ringing. Key Idea there being that he was thinking of Naruto for no reason. No, Sasuke was definitely not fully awake.

Sasuke shook his head to clear some mental cobwebs. It didn't help.

"Ehhhhhhh come in!"

Itachi poked his well-breeded, elegant head in. He was chewing on the end of a pen, looking a little distracted. Light surrounded his head, almost drowning his features in shadowy silhouette. Sasuke blinked owlishly.

"You okay, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's brain registered that 'okay, sas-kay' rhymed. He grimaced at the sluggish antics of his half-asleep thought processes.

"M'fine."

Pause.

"You've slept all day."  
"...M'aware."

Pause. The sound of Itachi's teeth munching the plastic pen. Was he getting nutrients out of that, or what?

"Hungry?"  
"..."

He wasn't, really. Sasuke's stomach was still asleep. But the look on his brother's porcelain face added quite an affect to the guilt trip. Itachi almost looked.. worried.

"..Yeah. I'll be out there in a sec." Sasuke looked around, dazedly, squinting to find something else to change into. Sleeping in one's clothes made him feel grimy.

"M'kay." Itachi quietly shut the door.

Ahh, darkness returned. Sasuke felt hungover. He shouldn't have slept so long. But the affect was nice. The whole morning kind of faded away into some bad movie that Sasuke had watched. The routine could continue, without a hitch. Sasuke felt relieved. Everything was calm. Everything was normal. No one was trying to make him social. Nice.

The phone rang.

Sasuke stared at it, like it was an alien from outer space. Where had it come from? Why was it here? Why was it ringing? How dare it skew his routine as soon as it was placed back together?

Before Sasuke got the nerve to answer it, Itachi poked his head back in. Light from the hallway flooded in.

"Oh, You should probably answer that. It's been going off every hour or so."

The door shut with a click. Darkness.

Great. Sasuke reached over, flipped open the screen, squinted at the unnaturally bright blue light, and made out 'Naruto.'

Just peachy.

* * *

Coming up next: Sasuke and Haku meet! Add a dash of alcohol and some awkward silences, and whaddya get? Next time on 'You Have to Trust It."

**:cheesy theme song:**

blah.

I'm out of vanilla tea. :weeps:

Reviews? Maybe? Pretty please?

Oh oh oh! Random: So.. personally, what's your preference? Do you prefer Naruto to be the seme or Sasuke? I'm wondering what the tally is out there in the Yaoi Naruto World. Curious.


	4. you'll be taken care of

Some minor notes:

Mister Pineapple is my hero...yeah. .. :weeps: ... Thank you my three reviewers.. for actually reviewing.

Disclaimer: oh before I forget, I don't even own the song. It's Bjork's. That lucky little.. Scandinavian or whatever she is. It's hard to sing along when she uses random syllables.

P.S. the sentence fragments are on purpose.

P.S.S. i hate how half of the symbols you type never show up on this thing. like the percent sign. or even just a hyphen. fucking.. growl.

* * *

"_You'll be given love  
__you'll be taken care of  
__you'll be given love..  
__you have to trust it..."_

Three: **"You'll be taken care of." **

His phone beeped happily as he removed it from its recharging cradle. Grit teeth. Press 'Send.' Sigh.  
Rummage for clothing in drawer at same time.

"Hello..?"  
"Oh! _He picked up! What do I say? (Say 'hello,' dork!)_"  
"You are not Naruto." Sasuke was almost pleasantly surprised.  
"Ah.. no. I'm not Naruto. I am Haku..and.. Hello."

This was Haku? He sounded like a girl... Sasuke pulled out some pajama pants and a tank top. He would go back to bed after dinner, he decided. He looked at his phone. The conversation merited some mild interest... but he could just hang up anyway. Decisions decisions..

"Hold on a sec."  
"I'm sorry? Oh. Okay Sasuke-san."

'San?' Sasuke placed the phone on his bed as he stood up. Shrug out of wrinkled jeans and black shirt and don the fresher clothing. Graze fingers on bedside touch-lamp, to dimly illuminate the room. Still blinding. Sasuke picked up the phone. He heard a loud bang in the background from Haku's end.

"What are you guys doing..?"  
"...Nothing, well.. that's what we're supposed to be doing. Naruto-san just knocked over a display case.."

Sasuke wasn't surprised. He found himself staring at his reflection in his dresser's mirror. He looked like some kind of undead sickly being. Sasuke rubbed his face with his free hand.

"_Naruto..ano.. what am I calling him for? (Tell him we're coming over tomorrow!)_"

Sasuke's hand paused mid-rub on his face.

"WHAT."  
"Ah. You heard him, I assume."  
"Yes, but.. why?"

His mind threw a tantrum. It was Sunday tomorrow! Sasuke had already dedicated that day for complete isolation and de-Narutoification...

"I believe your brother wants to meet me.. at least, that's what Naruto s- _(gimme that!) _SASUKE."

Sasuke flinched at Naruto's loud voice. Unlike Tsunade, his cellphone did nothing to muffle the blonde at all. Sasuke flopped onto his bed on his back.

"God damnit you're loud."  
"Get used to it. Anyway, we're coming over tomorrow night coz your brother is more human-slash-humane than you, and actually _wants_ to meet new people."  
"This is humane, how?"  
"Whul.. he's feeding us lunch. That's pretty damn humane if you ask me. (_Only because you eat all the time, Naruto-san!)_ Damn straight."

Sasuke shut his eyes tightly. He didn't exactly enjoy the idea of his brother's sometimes-lover coming to his house with someone else he didn't know, on his pre-planned day of avoid-everyone-at-all-costs on top of it.

"...Why are you telling me this."  
"Why? Coz I'm gonna make you come out of your cave, and I thought I'd let you know so you'd be prepared." There was another loud crash in the background.

Sasuke set his untrustworthy alarm clock for nine AM. He intended on sleeping in.

"Aaack! Well, I won't be coming to _this_ mall for a few months.." Sasuke heard running footsteps and Naruto laughing in the background. Haku's voice was lightly commenting about something like 'I didn't know it was possible for someone to be so clumsy in so little time allotted.'

"_Oh shush you little smartass. (I should stop hanging out with you- you're going to ruin my perfect-citizen-reputation!)"_

Sasuke decided that he liked this 'Haku' person. But, he hung up anyway. He had assumed that he had received all information Naruto had intended on giving him. He stuck the phone in the pocket of his pants and meandered blindly into the hallway. The phone twittered by the time he reached the kitchen. Itachi looked at him curiously. Black socks, blue jeans, no shirt.

"S'my phone." Again. Sigh. Dig in pocket. Flip open phone. New Text Message.

"**We know where you live. "**

Itachi snorted. Sasuke jumped. When had he snuck up behind him?

"Food is on the table, little brother. Eat before it gets cold."

Sasuke sat at the small kitchen table, and noticed that Itachi's spot was empty. He looked questioningly at him.

"Aniki?"

Itachi turned around to face his brother. He merely smiled slightly. It looked strained.

"Ah.. I have already eaten. I was only worried that you hadn't. Eat up." Itachi smiled that strained smile again and silently padded his way around the corner, down the hall to his room. The man's door shut with a quiet click.

Sasuke's erratic brother wasn't one to fret much about anybody, including his younger sibling. Unless Sasuke had his head cracked open and was bleeding to death, Itachi let him be. Weird.

Sasuke stared blankly at nothing in the silence. The furnace thunked into life, echoing throughout the apartment. Glancing once more at the empty spot where his brother had stood a few moments before, Sasuke picked up his chopsticks.

He was suddenly ravenous.

* * *

His Sunday would be a tangled mass in his nicely combed life. 

The next morning, Sasuke woke up to his alarm clock, thereby reinstating his trust in it. He hoped Naruto would not corrupt it again in the future. The moment Sasuke moved to shut off his alarm's insistent beeping, he noticed that something had woken up before he did. Sasuke hissed at his morning's random erection as he flipped his clock's switch.

A sometimes-part of his daily routine.

Sit in bed. Will it away. Rummage for clothes. Black boxers. Black pants. White longsleeve shirt. Black T-shirt. Hobble down hallway. Grab towel from closet. Find bathroom. Morning piss. Stare at self in mirror groggily while waiting until water heats up. Step into shower. Soap, lather, rinse, repeat.

Sasuke noted his erection had returned in wake of the steaming water. Persistent bastard.

Freeze self to death with ice cold water. Brush teeth. What the fuck?

Sasuke noted while brushing his teeth that he had left his clothing on his bed back in his room. His routine was thoroughly skewed. Bah. He wrapped the white, fluffy towel around his waist and, toothbrush in hand, went back to his room. Bottom molars, top molars, front teeth. He caught a glimpse of himself with a lathery square smile as he was brushing vigorously, clothing draped on his shoulder, hand grasping his towel securely. The Routine was seemingly on its way back to normalcy.

He ran into a girl in the hallway. Black Vans, faded blue jeans, white turtleneck. Long, straight dark hair. Sasuke found he couldn't say 'excuse me,' even if he hadn't had foamy toothpaste in his mouth. What was a girl doing in his apartment? Itachi had a new subject?

"Aah.. I beg your p.." The girl looked up at Sasuke, then promptly looked away. Big, brown eyes. Lotus lips.

Oh yeah. Towel. Crap.

"Exmmf mmff." Sasuke felt his body flush a bit, and failed to ignore it. He returned to the bathroom, leaving the very appealing woman in the hallway, shut the door, and spit.

He could still attempt to keep his routine in check.  
Gripe with hair for five minutes. Not think about random people in house.

Walking into the kitchen never seemed more of a hazard. Sasuke heard Naruto's voice before he made it around the corner. What the hell was he doing here so early? Weren't they supposed to be over for lunch? Who was that girl? What was-

Oh.

Sasuke mentally smacked himself. He should have recognized the voice. That 'woman' was Haku. What a first impression: Sasuke in a towel and possibly foaming at the mouth with fluoride. Just great. Beyond great.

"UHGGggggg.."

Sasuke made it around the corner to witness blonde and orange hair smack the kitchen table. Blinding orange sweatshirt, khaki pants, worn sneakers. Naruto was sitting in Sasuke's 'spot.' Well, it wasn't exactly his spot- it didn't have his name on it or anything. But once again his routine had been picked apart, all because of a certain idiot. Irritating.

"Hakuuuu...," Naruto whined, "why are we up so ERRR-Leee?" He yawned.

So, Sasuke mused, Naruto wasn't a morning person either. Great. Now he was _comparable_ to Naruto. Sasuke feverently wished he could spontaneously combust or have a heart attack or just.. fall over dead. The young woma...man, smiled sweetly, leaned over, and patted Naruto on the head. Sh.. HE, stood up from his seat (Itachi's spot, Sasuke noted) and flushed a little at Sasuke.

"Good morning, Sasuke-san." Sugary smile.

Again with the Japanese honorific. Sasuke kept reminding himself that this person was MALE. But all his brain said was this person was 'Pretty.'

Uhg. Even his brain betrayed him.

"Good morning."

Itachi was at the stove. Waffles, it smelled like. Weird. How very un-Japanese of him. Bare feet. Long gray pajama pants. Tight black longsleeve. Bed hair? It wasn't like his brother to have company without having dressed first,_ especially_ without fixing his hair.

"Aniki?" No actual questions. They didn't need complete sentences when talking to each other. Either Itachi hadn't heard the unasked question (unusual in itself), or ignored it (more likely). Itachi just smiled a small, I'm-purposely-being-oblivious smile.

"Sit down little brother. One? Or two."

"Un.. one." Sasuke wasn't a breakfast person. He sat down in a stiff, unused chair next to Naruto, who appeared to be asleep. Haku reseated herse.. himself and gently poked Naruto in the head.

"BUH.. whaddyawantgo'way."  
"Naruto-san, breakfast is ready."

The blonde perked up considerably, but his eyes were still half-lidded.

"Foo-oood, Naruto." Haku continued.  
"Right right. M'up."

Nothing was said. Sasuke didn't want to ask Haku, someone he hardly knew, why the hell he and Naruto, someone Sasuke could quite possibly murder at any moment, had come to his freakin house so freakin early. Also, he didn't want to ask Itachi what the hell was wrong with him in front of said people. So he ate in silence.

Which was just as well, seeing as it was too early in the morning for any notable amount of brain power. Naruto was mechanically chewing syrup-covered waffles with surprising gusto for someone half-asleep, Haku was munching delicately in his own little world, and Itachi was leaning on a counter sipping coffee in a dashing, bed-ruffled-yet-sated sort of way. Sasuke tore apart his plain waffle and ate it like a piece of bread. He didn't enjoy syrup. He was just starting to think about how good caffeine would be right now when Itachi gave him his usual cup of coffee in his usual styrofoam cup with his usual amounts of cream.

Sometimes Sasuke couldn't thank his brother enough. The coffee was at least a _semblance_ of the routine he had so pitifully lost this morning. He was sipping the contents when Naruto finished his mountain of waffles (Itachi was well aware of his subject's appetite).

"I don't even remember driving here. Haku, why are we here? How did we get here?"

Haku sipped some milky-looking tea (A/N god I miss my tea.) from a mug. A slight smile.

"Naruto, we were going back to your apartment, and you locked yourself out, so we came here around eleven last night.."

Sasuke realized just how out of the loop he really was. They were here last night? It was certainly after he went back to bed after dinner...He hadn't even heard the front door. And-

Ew.

"Itachi suggested we could just stay the night here, seeing as we were going to come back the next day anyway."  
"Well, I remember _that_ bit."

Itachi snorted from the counter.

"It was _before_ that that I couldn't remember-"

Sasuke's body took over while his brain projectile vomited. Double Ew. The Uchihas' apartment wasn't big enough to accommodate four separate beds. In fact, there's only two. And a small couch. Yeah, he bet Naruto could remember the bit that involved Itachi, let's not make any understatements.

Haku slept on the couch. And that's okay. Naruto slept on Sasuke's brother. And that's not.

That's Itachi-Hospitality for you.  
Sasuke didn't finish his waffle.

* * *

"Little brother, please refrain from murdering our guests while I am out." 

"Aw, he's not gonna murder anybody- I'd kick his ass first," Naruto said mildly as he passed the two Uchihas into the living room.

Itachi, in close-fitting black pants, red muscle shirt, and fully groomed hair, pulled on a long black trenchcoat. He was looking at his brother pointedly, not even phased by Sasuke's evil glare. Itachi smiled a dazzling smile.

The glare clearly read- "Where are you going, and why are you leaving me here with them."

The smile said- "You'll be fine."

Sasuke glowered. Itachi was going out to buy groceries. He directed his glower to Naruto. Sasuke felt that the lack of routine all morning merited his having a scapegoat. The only reason they needed groceries was because the blonde was a freakin black hole. They'd had plenty of food otherwise.

"I'll be back soon," his brother said (almost too happily, in Sasuke's opinion), and shut the front door with a soft click. Sasuke dutifully got up from the couch, glower still plastered, and slid the dead-bolt into home.

He looked over at his two "guests" from the shut door. Haku was sitting on the short, low red couch, looking at Sasuke pleasantly. Naruto was scanning the wall of DVD's, talking to himself. Or maybe talking to Sasuke, but the end effect was the same- he wasn't being listened to either way.

Sasuke was still giving dirty looks to the blonde's hunched back, but he could feel Haku's eyes on him. Haku had a look that gave Sasuke a feeling that the former knew something the latter didn't. It made him uneasy. He sighed as he watched Naruto enthusiastically choose 'Fight Club' ("I LOVE THIS MOVIE! IT'S FREAKIN HILARIOUS!") and finally gave in to Haku's stare, looking over. He still had a small little enlightened smile on his face, looking Sasuke directly in the eyes.

Haku spoke to Naruto while still smiling at Sasuke.

"Naruto, how are we going to get back into your apartment?"

The blonde mumbled something as he fiddled with the Uchihas' DVD player. Sasuke caught "Bastard" in the middle of it.

"AH-HA!"

Sasuke watched Haku jump from being startled by Naruto's exclamation. Finally! He was free from the weird all-knowing stare…

"What did you say about Sasuke-san's car?"  
"Whut? Hey.. where's the remote.."

The question was left unanswered as the movie started. Itachi came home when three-fourths of the movie was over. Sasuke helped him put groceries away. Bread, meat, milk, rice, eggs, soda, sake..? It had been a long time since Sasuke had even thought of the beverage- not since.. back then. He looked at his brother and got no reply.

When they emerged from the kitchen (or walked into the living room- it was the same thing: an open-air room half carpeted and half with linoleum), Naruto was asleep again, head resting on an arm of the couch, legs draped across Haku's lap and the other arm of the couch. Haku had his arms resting on Naruto's legs and was watching the movie with his head tilted slightly to the left, perplexed. Sasuke's lips formed a grim line. When the movie ended, he would have to be social again. He absently glanced at the clock sitting on top of the television. Quarter to Noon. The day wasn't even halfway over yet.

He had to urinate.

Quickly leaving the living room (in eagerness to be alone, not in need to relieve himself), he made his way down the hallway. Sasuke was thinking morbidly as he flipped on the light. The tile walls and floor greeted him flatly. A good percentage of all household accidents happen in the bathroom, didn't they? If he was lucky, he would slip, fall, bust his head open on a corner of the sink, and die on impact, his blood puddling on the white tiles.

Sasuke flushed, washed his hands, and left the bathroom without incident.  
He cursed his bad luck and sure-footedness.

* * *

Haku was asking questions about Itachi and his work while the man gave short replies and stir-fried various produce in a sizzling pan. Naruto was stretched out on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Sasuke was sitting on the couch, elbows on knees, fingers intertwined. The smell of cooking meat filled the apartment. 

"Let's go out."

Sasuke's heart stopped a moment. It was spoken rather quietly. Was he _serious_? What kind of joke was this? Sasuke glanced at him incredulously. Naruto was still staring at the ceiling. He sighed, moving shaggy bangs out of his eyes with a 'poouh.'

Sasuke realized he was waiting for a reply to a silently asked question that Naruto had never heard to begin with. It irritated him that he had to speak complete sentences to the idiot.

"Pardon?"  
"What. Let's go out."

Silence.  
Another Naruto-sigh.

"We've been inside all morning, and I'd like a change of clothes. Let's go out."

Oooh. Sasuke about mentally kicked himself. That idiot. ..No. They were both idiots.

"Un."

Naruto stood up and stretched. He called out to Haku over his left shoulder.

"Oy! Haku! We'll be back soon."  
"Where are you going?"  
"My place, I'll grab some clothes for ya," Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his unruly hair.

…Why was Sasuke going with Naruto? Did he _need_ to be there or something? He didn't ask.

Haku tilted his head slightly to the left again. Smiled sweetly.  
"Okay, Naruto-san."

The blonde turned the deadbolt and opened the door fluidly, without any acts of clumsiness. Sasuke looked back into the kitchen. Itachi was regarding him blankly, but Sasuke heard him. He shrugged his reply.

It meant "I'll find out."

They walked down the stairs, the metal railings echoing with their footfalls on the cracked concrete slabs. Naruto slid down the last banister, mildly complaining that the railing was 'effing-assed cold.' Sasuke followed Naruto into the parking lot. He seemed to be headed to Sasuke's car.

The blonde stood by the passenger door, looking at him with an unreadable expression. He was pulling his orange gloves out of the front pocket of his sweatshirt. Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together.

"What."  
"Open it." He said, like it was obvious. Naruto's breath froze in the chill air.

Sasuke was a bit miffed.

"One, no. Two, open it your damn self."

Naruto blinked and paused in the middle of putting on his right glove. And opened the passenger door. He bent in, rummaging, as if looking for something. The doors had been unlocked, and it had been because Sasuke had forgotten to lock them before he had trudged into his home the day before.. But the idiot didn't need to know that. What the hell was he looking for?

Naruto hunched out of the car, a single key in orange hand. He shut the door with his hip, something that registered in Sasuke's mind as familiar, but only vaguely.

"This fell out of my pocket yesterday," he grinned sheepishly.

Sasuke scowled.

"You should probably put it with your other keys."

Naruto scoffed, his breath clouding his face.

"Yeah, probably." Naruto stuffed the key in his pocket. He made his way to his own car, parked four spaces away. Why was Sasuke following him? He didn't need to go to Naruto's apartment. The blonde had his key, he wasn't needed anymore. Sasuke got in the passenger side anyway.

Their doors shut at the same time, loud in the cold air. Naruto dug another key out of his pocket, and turned the ignition. They sat as the car warmed up.

"Thanks, I needed out of there for a little bit." Naruto said. Sasuke looked at him. The blonde was staring straight ahead. Weird. But then, Naruto suddenly looked at him with his blue eyes. Not the blue eyes of 'The Dobe.' The eyes of Naruto Uzumaki.

This time he heard the unasked question that Sasuke had asked.

"Your brother..." The blue gaze flitted to the dimly glowing dials behind the steering wheel. When it returned, they was the sheepish eyes of the normal Naruto. Or at least an attempt at him.

"Sometimes I think your brother is more.. casual than I am," He smiled, scratching the back of his head once more. His eyes did not meet Sasuke's.

Well, that was cryptic.

Casual? In what sense? Not formal, not.. polite? No. Like… blatant ignorance of policy or something. But that was so technical. More like uncaring. Or.. something like that. Itachi? More casual than Naruto..? More- oh.

Naruto had not only confirmed Sasuke's suspicion of the blonde's and his brother's activities from the night before, but also given a clue into the strange relationship they had. They had slept together numerous times, but now Sasuke recalled that Naruto and Itachi had hardly exchanged words with each other over breakfast. What does one say to something like that? How do you comfort someone in a relationship with your brother when the whole thing freaked you out to begin with? What should he say to "Your brother is a bastardous jerk for a boyfriend?"

"Itachi.. he's not one for small talk," Sasuke tentatively supplied. Translation: he wasn't one for _relationships._

Naruto Uzumaki smiled ruefully.

"That's one way to put it, Bastard."

That was all Sasuke could manage at the moment. Time to change the subject. Naruto shifted into reverse and the vehicle whined out of the parking space. They were on their way out of the parking lot when Sasuke finally thought of a subject that didn't seem too touchy.

"So, what's with Haku and the formalities?"  
"Eh? Oh! Ha ha.. I dunno. He's always like that. Polite, you know. You should pay attention. Might learn something."  
"Speak for yourself, moron."  
"Whatever, 'Sasuke-KUN.' So…whaddo you think of him?"

That caught him off guard. Sasuke thought he might be attracted to this Haku person, despite the fact that the man put him on edge with just a peaceful glance. He decided on a neutral answer.

"He looks like a girl."

Naruto laughed.

"Yeah he had me fooled for awhile. I didn't believe him at first…"  
"How did you meet him?"

Naruto flipped on the de-fogger for the rear window. Turned left at a stop light. He was thinking.

"Met his ..er.. 'roommate,' I _guess_, at work. Big guy. Zabuza. Haku stopped in one day to say hello and that's how we met. Turns out he lives a block away from me."  
"Un."  
"Haku was supposed to crash at my place last night. Zabuza's out of country for the week and he didn't want the house to himself."  
"What does he do?"  
"Haku? .. You know- I don't have a clue. I never thought to ask."

They didn't say much of anything as they made their way downtown. Naruto pulled into what Sasuke thought was an insanely narrow alley which led into a cramped parking area. Naruto backed into a spot in the far corner with faded white lines.

Sasuke followed him up a rather un-reliable looking fire escape up to the uppermost level of a worn brick building. The air smelled of noodles- Naruto lived in a studio apartment above some nondescript ramen shop. (A/N Ichikaru! Or.. something like that. Oh god. Why can't I remember the spelling?)

Climbing up the fire escape ladders, Sasuke half expected a window to crawl through at the top, but he was surprised to see concrete ledge with metal railings that led to a rickety door. Naruto pulled his key out of his pocket with a put-out glare and opened the door with a squeak.

"_Blert?_"

Sasuke's attention was wrenched to the scuffed wood floor, where a snow-white kitten, head still unproportionally large to the rest of the body, stared at him with striking green eyes.

"Oh 'Blert' yourself. I was only gone a day," Naruto grumbled while taking off his shoes. He stalked further into his home. The cat stared at Sasuke a moment, then trotted after its owner like a dog.

Weird people have weirder pets.  
Should he take off his shoes?

Sasuke knew he was not the only one around here from Japanese decent. He himself hadn't fallen back on the old traditions in a long time… He had never perceived Naruto as someone traditional, either.

In fact, by the looks of things, the blonde _wasn't-_ other than leaving his shoes by the front door.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke, because he was still standing in the doorway.

"Eh.. don't worry about it. I do it without thinking, but I don't really mind at all. Old habits die hard, I guess."

Sasuke cautiously entered, though he didn't know why. He watched the blonde open a small can of cat food and put it on a counter. The kitten scrambled on the tops of several books, boxes, and chairs that were messily (if not strategically) placed for the feline to make its way to the counter top.

Naruto patted it on the head, and waved Sasuke into a worn-in recliner chair.

"Have a seat. I'm just gonna change and grab some clothes that Haku left here," and he disappeared behind some curtains.

The studio had stacks and stacks of books. Magazines, inch-thick manuscripts, and novels. Mostly paperbacks. Everywhere. Naruto had no shelves, it seemed. There was a side-table with a small plastic reading lamp next to the recliner in which he sat. A thick, ancient-looking laptop was on it, being recharged. Sasuke's curiosity was tested severely, but he did nothing. His eyes glided back to the kitten. It was the only visible thing that moved.

"What's it's name?" He asked, after a moment. The kitten's right ear twitched in his direction. Sasuke could hear the blonde's feet scuffle behind the curtain, loud in the open-air apartment.

"….Her name is Baka," Naruto called back.  
"_Blert?_"

Somehow he wasn't surprised.

Naruto came out from behind the curtains. Fresh socks. Faded green canvas pants. Orange sweatshirt again. He was holding a bag of what Sasuke assumed Haku's things.

"Alright. Let's head back. I think I have everything."

Sasuke didn't ask about the books.

* * *

Back at the Uchihas,' Naruto seemed normal during lunch. Haku was ever-polite. Itachi expressed his interest in maybe photographing Haku before the following Sunday, but he respectfully declined. 

"Ah.. I am not very photogenic Itachi-san. I would waste your film!"

Sasuke mentally scoffed. He doubted that.

"You suffer greatly from over-modesty," Itachi said politely, non-chalantly, and sexily, as was his way. Sasuke, normally, would be used to it. But for once it seemed a little out of place. Shouldn't his brother be a little less obvious with his flirting? Naruto _was_ with them at the table, and all.

Sasuke shrugged it off. It was Itachi. Everything he said seemed like a sexual innuendo, if it was a complete sentence. And besides, it wasn't like Itachi and Naruto were an item or anything. They just.. slept together. When they felt like it.

Though Sasuke believed this, the image of seeing the Real Naruto earlier in the car kept resurfacing. Naruto was obviously (or maybe not so obviously, as he seemed quite content to eat his food as Itachi tried to persuade Haku into a photo shoot) wounded by the fact that Itachi did not treat Naruto as a companion, or even a lover. More like acquaintances. Or maybe a particular, inspiring piece of art from time to time.

Sasuke shot his brother a glance. It caught his eye. Itachi's eyebrows moved a fraction upwards, acknowledging Sasuke's silent "ahem."

Itachi had little skill in changing subjects smoothly. But his voice more than made up for it.

"Now that we've eaten, let's all get drunk." It was said so casually, that the reaction from the others was a little delayed.

Naruto sputtered in the middle of a sip of water. Haku only paused a moment in mid-chew, his head tilted a bit to the left. Sasuke squinted at his brother. A disturbed "what the hell are you doing?"

Itachi smirked.

Why wasn't anyone complaining? It wasn't even three-thirty in the afternoon! Why had Itachi bought sake in the first place? Why couldn't anyone think of a good reason not to?

They talked awhile about nothing in the living room, all trying to get drunk. Why was Sasuke such a lightweight? Why did they all listen to Itachi like he was a god?

Was it because they were bored? Was it because Itachi wanted Haku drunk enough to photograph him and then sleep with him? Well, that was out, because Haku seemed capable of downing a swimming pool full of alcohol and not have any side affects whatsoever. Naruto had decided to start asking Sasuke questions that Sasuke was quite sure he would never answer, unless he was drunk off his ass, which he was.

"R'Yu gay?"  
"Neh. Bi."  
"Bye? Whar ya goiiiin?"  
"BI. BISEXUAL. Yur such a doofus."  
"Heh. Yu said sex-shul."

"Itachi-san. Why did you want to get drunk?"  
"It, my dear, was a inspiration. A ..um. "  
"What kind of inspiration?"  
"Yes. My dear, a muse inspired myself to get him, that blondie beauty boy, drunk. Drunk like a …a pig."  
"Naruto?"  
"Nar'to. Yes. My you're a pretty one. No. I had a dream, a vision, a vision from my muse of photography. I must photograph Naruto drunk, while drunk, while he's drunk, while I'm drunk. The pictures will be drunk, you see. The idea is to show the suconsious talent that lies beneath the drunken photographer and subject, you see."  
"I see, Itachi-san."  
"You see. Of course you do. You're a very pretty one. But, I must be drunk. I don't believe I am sufficiently absolutely totally drunk just yet. You see."

Sasuke could foggily listened to his brother's over-descriptive words. Itachi was a talker too, evidently. So the plot comes out. At the same time, Naruto continued to invade his private life. Both of them were leaning on a coffee table to keep from teetering.

"So who youwannashag?"  
"What?"  
"Who! You wanna shag?"  
"Oh."  
"Yeah!"  
"Yeah."  
"What?"  
"**I** wanna get the **hell** outta here."  
"Then GO yu dummy. Who's stoppin yu?"  
"I dunno. You?"  
"Whut. Me? Hhow."  
"Fuckin won't lemme be a hermit."  
"Lika crab."  
"Yeah."  
"Yu shouldn't be a crab, Saskay, OR a hermit. They get all peverted 'n stuff."  
"Whatever. Who d'YOU wanna shag?"  
"Ita…Well akchully, diju know yu look alot like Itachi? Like.. a lot."  
"What does **zat** hafta do with anything?"  
"Whaddo what? O hi 'Tachi!"

This was stupid. Itachi was getting drunk to get Naruto drunk because he was a FREAKIN PSYCHO, especially when it came to his "muses." Heck, they were probably more 'fetishes' than 'muses.' Haku was staring at him again. He was saying something to him. Sasuke couldn't hear it. He couldn't even think straight. Naruto was following Itachi down the hall. It was getting awful warm in the apartment. He stumbled to the patio door and opened the sliding glass. A cold winter breeze came in. It helped a little. Sasuke heard Naruto's child-like laugh from down the hall.

He sat on the couch, elbows on knees, fingers interlaced, though his fingers didn't seem to want to cooperate. He should go outside. Go anywhere. Away from here. Away from _them._ He couldn't take hearing them **fucking**. He would leave. Yes. It was quieter out there. Haku was eyeing him. Blocking the front door. Had Sasuke said his plans out loud?

Sasuke was disgusted. Either from the idea of getting completely plastered while it was still daylight outside, or that he could easily picture his Aniki and the blonde in the other room in sickening positions, surrounded by camera lighting and moody backdrops. He suddenly hated his brother, for being able to control their actions so easily. He hated Naruto, for taking his brother away, invading his home life. He hated them both, because he could already start to hear their muffled voices of pleasure. His body took over for him, so his brain could go cower in a corner. It downed a few more cups of sake, then promptly passed out, Haku hovering with his pretty head tilted slightly to the left.

* * *

TBC.

it's probably just as crappy as i think it is, isn't it.

Random drinking, huh?

I needed random. I don't LIKE the random, but I needed it. To explain a little more about Itachi. Coz he's random.

It doesn't explain much, does it? The last couple of paragraphs drive me up the WALL, they are so poorly written, but I had to force it like that. They smell of shit and are not coordinated at all. Because that's what I feel like when I'm drunk. Like ultimate shit and totally not in control.

Just go with it for now, yeah?

Next time, Sasuke and Haku have an actual conversation, some weird stuff at nightschool, things get a little hentai, and.. things get a little hentai. and hopefully the chapter wont be so FREAKIN LONG, and it wont take me two weeks or however long it was, to type it out, edit it, hate it, edit it somemore, and de-virus my other computer.

Say it with me now.

How do you spell relief? S-M-U-T.

Oh. "Blert" I stole from a wonderful cat in a wonderful book called The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. He only appears in the last three chapters or so, but is still a prominent point in my mind. It's by Robert A. Heinlein. Check it. It's very "Hitchiker's Guide"-esque, but more technical and less.. I dunno. Anyway, time to type up the smut. Yay!


	5. you have poured yours Part One

Bjorkfan: sup.

Yeah it's been awhile. I have several valid excuses and even more useless ones. We'll place most the blame on laziness, some of the blame on my laptop that is permanently dead, and whatever's left over on the fact that this chapter was so long that I had to split it into two parts.

Also, I'd been messing around with a few potential one-shots, and one I even posted on 'adultfan dot nexcess dot net' under the pen name "Bjorkfan." It's juicy. I hate it. But others seemed to have liked it so I guess that's okay. Eventually I'll have a link to it in my profile here at fanfiction dot net but we'll see how that works out.

I've also been doing an insane amount of artwork for some of the stories I've been reading. Unfortunately for me (fortunately, for you), I don't have a scanner. So.. you'll never see them. I did a few for Vice, which is a lovely fic and I really must post a review for that one. Also one of Konoha Garden, but that's actually a pretty old drawing. Also I did a few for an AU story about Hinata and her being chosen to marry Itachi but the title of the fic deserts me at the moment...

Anyway, this is way off subject. I'm wrapping up part two of this chapter, so you'll be getting it within the next few days after I post this first half.

Disclaimer: what is it they say? imitation is the highest sort of compliment? Something like that. We write fanfiction because we are the biggest fans. We do this without getting paid. Kishimoto should feel the love.

* * *

"_maybe not from these source  
__you have poured yours  
__maybe not in these directions  
__you are staring at"_

Chapter four: **"You Have Poured Yours." Pt 1**

The kitten was looking at him with those green eyes. It was staring at him and pawing at his face, trying to wake him up. When he cracked his eyes open, she wasn't there. Only a cabinet. He shut his eyes. She wasn't there either.

"Uhhhhhg.. gotta ..piss ACK there's a person on the floor-"

Ew. Sound waves.

His body grudgingly gave the brain back control of the unit. His shut eyes saw a glowing redness as the lights were flipped on mercilessly.

"Uhgg Sasuke? Please.. move. Must piss. Muy importante, man."

Correction: _Naruto_ sound waves.

God his head hurt.

"Are you feeling better, Sasuke-san?"

The Haku sound waves weren't as bad.

Sasuke tried to say he was fine, and managed a short incoherent gurgle. He was laying on his left side, he thought, and it was very chilled. There was some sort of makeshift pillow under his head. His right arm groped the floor, and he made out rough grout and slick tiles with his fingertips. They slapped rubberly into a foot that didn't belong to him. Bathroom. Did he manage to slip and fall and nearly kill himself in his drunken stupor?

Che. If he could only _be_ so lucky. His head pounded near his ear, and he desperately wanted some toothpaste. What time was it? Why the hell was he in the bathroom, anyway? He opened his eyes. Ooh that was a bad idea. Damn fluorescent lights.

"Stay here, Sasuke. I'll be right back."

"No no, no staying, I gotta pee."

Don't worry, he wanted to say. He wasn't about to go anywhere if he could help it. He squinted at the disturbingly bright bathroom lights. Actually, on second thought, _he_ had to pee. Sasuke fuzzily stood up. Whoa. Sudden movements equaled very bad idea. Naruto was in the middle of blearily thanking him for leaving, but was cut short when Sasuke shoved him out and shut the door with a click. He contemplated urinating in the dark, just to avoid the headache, but decided against it.

Naruto's raving from the hallway became background noise. He was washing his hands with half-lidded eyes when Haku tapped lightly on the door with a finger. Sasuke dried his hands on a small white towel (half-expecting to see green slitted eyes peering at him), fumbled off the lights, and slowly opened the door. Haku was in the hallway, looking pleasant as usual, with a glass of water. Cream shirt, unzipped white light jacket, jeans. Naruto was on the floor. Blue boxers.

Sasuke nodded his thanks as he didn't trust his raspy voice at the time. After a few gulps (he hadn't realized how thirsty he was), he asked what time it was.

"About eleven in the evening, Sasuke-san."

Eleven.

Dear god. Would the day never end?

He must have had a pretty sad look on his face. One Sasuke was sure that translated into a rough 'why me' that Haku saw and displayed a replying look of sympathy. Naruto griped from the floor.

"Any day now, ladies."

"Let's go sit," Haku advised, and went down the hall. Sasuke followed numbly holding his empty glass. He did not glance at Naruto. Didn't trust himself to. He heard the bathroom door shut behind him. In the living room, Haku sat on one end of the red couch, motioning for Sasuke to sit next to him. Sasuke squinted at the spot, and then the floor. Setting the glass on the coffee table, he chose the floor.

Sasuke was sprawled on his stomach, head turned to the left, resting on his pounding right ear. He tried not to move or breathe too much- tried not to feed the headache. He felt Haku's eyes on him. He was aware that he looked a lot like a dead corpse, but Sasuke didn't care. Whenever he shut his eyes he saw that weird cat. He heard a distant flush from the hallway.

Tomp tomp tomp tomp. Itachi's door opening, then shutting. Muffled voices. Silence. He let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding.

"Why was I...uhhg," Sasuke deflated. He broke his brain, he suddenly realized. He drank so much he actually _killed_ the braincells that regulated coherent speech. Way to effing go, idiot.

"What, Sasuke?"

Try again, stupid.

"Ehh...Bathroom." Close enough.  
"Why did you wake up in the bathroom?"

'Yes.' 'YES.' You can do it!

"Un." Djeeze.

Haku sighed a little. "Certain ..em. 'Situations' made you ill. Quite literally-"

Oh yes. The puking. Let's get reminded of the puking.

"Afterwards, you decided to pass out in there."

How very sophisticated of him. Ow. Headache. Quit thinking.

"Why-" fuck his voice sounded awful, "aren't you… bleah." It wasn't worth the effort. Luckily, Haku was an angel and spoke for him.

"Why aren't I suffering from a terrible hangover? I was drinking tea all night."

Double-you Tee Eff. No wonder it had looked like Haku was a friggen bottomless drinking machine.

"In fact, I do believe I'll be awake for quite some time."

Sasuke snorted from the floor. His brain throbbed in response.

They were silent awhile. Sasuke had some time to mull things over. Like how the carpet seemed really familiar. Like how he was pretty sure he had passed out _right in the very spot_ he was in. How did he make it to the bathroom? What other things did he do that he wasn't aware of?

"Haku."  
"Hm?"  
"What did I do?" he asked, his mouth being muffled by the uncomfortably rough carpet.

Haku was quiet a moment. Uh oh. Well, it couldn't be _that_ bad. He was Sasuke Uchiha, after all. Master of all emotional control. What could he have possibly done? Grope Haku or something? Ha-ha. File that one away, Sasuke. It was pretty funny.

"When?"

…Double uh oh.

"...After I passed out here," muffle-mumble.

"Oh. Um.. hmm."

What was that feeling called? Foreboding. Yeah. Sasuke grimaced from the floor. His eyes caught the movement in a muddy reflection from a very empty bottle of sake sitting by the coffee table. Distorted black eyes looked back at him wearily. He scrunched them shut. Green eyes.

"Well, first- when you could hear Naruto and Itachi ..um.. down the hall, you just drank more."

Sasuke frowned. He remembered that part.

"Then you kept trying to escape the apartment, so I blocked the front door and locked the balcony door- you seemed too drunk to figure out the latch-" Haku giggled slightly.

Sasuke's frown deepened.

Haku's voice quieted down considerably when he continued. "Then you..um. Kissed me,"

Sasuke's eyes shot open.

"..And then you remembered about Naruto and Itachi, and ..so I helped you into the bathroom- kept the hair out of your face. ..And you passed out again, and smacked your head on the floor. .. The end."

Sasuke sighed from the floor. Reflection-Sasuke morphed into a blob of crinkled eyebrows. Sasuke vowed to never drink around people ever again. Stupid things happened.

"It was nothing totally embarrassing," Haku supplied, reading his mind.

Of course, he could have just said that in effort to save Sasuke's pride. Probably. Dear hell. And Haku was still there! He probably wanted to go home and get away from these crazy drunk-in-the-middle-of-the-day-for-no-reason idiots. Haku was stranded! Stranded and quite possibly molested by Sasuke. (Though he knew that some of his neighbors would kill to be in Haku's place.. not that that really comforted him.)

Some hospitality. Haku's ride home was still with Itachi in _that_ room and-

Sasuke had to stop all thought processes to get in control of his stomach and its urge to empty what little contents it contained. Rights. Sorry brain. Changing subject. How's this:

_Sasuke fucking kissed Haku._

Now that he knew the files existed, Sasuke's memory could dimly remember the antics of his drunken self.  
He promptly tried to delete them, but access was denied. Sasuke blushed from the floor.

"It's not even _tomorrow_ yet," he whined.

Haku didn't say anything, which was probably for the better, as Sasuke's thoughts were rather muddy anyway. Everything was wrong. There was no routine. He had gotten drunk and had had a hangover in one day. He had kissed a complete stranger. He had seen parts of Naruto's life that were strange and parts that were sickening. He stared at his distorted reflection in that **wretched** sake bottle.

Why did that cat keep appearing in his head?

These were the results of being social, he concluded. He should have known better.

Wait. He HAD known better! This was Naruto's fault! AHG. Bloody idiot.

Sasuke rolled over and numbly made his way to the kitchen with his empty glass. He pulled a bottle of aspirin down from the top of the refrigerator. Despite the fact that it was still Sunday, it was also late at night. He had work in the morning and school the next night- someone had to take Haku home.

He sat on the couch, elbows on knees, head in hands. The headache would pass. The headache would pass. Haku was still next to him, quiet. Sasuke could feel those eyes. They sat like that for awhile. There was a muffled 'thud.' Sasuke felt Haku tense next to him. He lifted his head from his hands.

Thud. Thud-scrape-thud. Squeak. Thud.

Sasuke did his best to stifle his nausea.

"Come. Grab your things. I'll drive you home."

Haku hesitated a moment. "Are you-"  
"I'm fine. Clear enough to drive."  
"Alright, Sasuke-kun," the man said quietly.

Sasuke ignored the honorific. He tried to ignore everything. He steeled himself as he walked into the hallway to his bedroom, which happened to be next door to-

Thud. Squeak. Thud-Thud.

Just grab the keys, Sasuke. Just grab the keys and leave. He tried to ignore how little things on his dresser jingled with every shudder of the wall. He tried to ignore the look on his face in the mirror. He tried to ignore the increasing speed of the 'thuds.' Haku was already outside the front door, waiting. He tried to ignore the grim-yet-sympathetic look on his face. He tried to ignore the "Ita- Itachi!" that raced to his ears just before he managed to shut the front door.

Sasuke tried to ignore the stinging in his chest.

Haku followed him wordlessly to the car. Sasuke didn't run. He walked. Casually. But it felt like he was running. Thoughts flew by in his head- thoughts thrown away the moment they existed. He didn't have a coat. Sasuke shivered. But, he had been shivering before he walked outside, so it didn't really matter.

Sasuke started the car. His radio sounded like a tin can. Haku said nothing.They still hadn't spoken a word until Sasuke pulled onto the freeway. It was then he realized he didn't know where Haku lived.

"I.. don't know where I'm going," he said, stupidly. Why did his voice sound so small?

"Just drive."  
"But-"  
"Drive."

Sasuke heard the unspoken '_I know you need to.'_ He looked over to Haku. The effeminate one was staring out the front window, calm. Pleasant. He had been right. Sasuke then realized his hands were trembling, knuckles white on the frigid steering wheel. His stomach had taken up origami. The frown on his face was actually starting to tire. And the place where he imagined his heart should be was empty save a pile of steaming ash.

"It must be difficult for you," Haku said quietly.

"I'm.. not even sure why it bothers me," his mouth said. Sasuke the brain was driving. Sasuke-the-hangover was sharing personal feelings with his passenger.

"..You do. You just don't remember it."  
"What?"

Haku didn't answer. Sasuke didn't really want to pursue it. He drove. He drove downtown, dimly remembering Naruto telling him that Haku lived nearby. He drove straight to the capital building, circled around it, then left they way they had come. It was dark. Deserted. The radio played cheesy commercials and strange music never heard during the daytime.

"Turn here."

* * *

Haku lived on the left half of a duplex. A large tree blocked most of the building from view. The young man undid his seat belt and stepped out of the car, holding that same bag of belongings Sasuke had seen Naruto carrying. Before shutting the door, Haku leaned down and was in Sasuke's line of sight.

"I would like to meet you again Uchiha, Sasuke. Under different and perhaps more pleasant circumstances, of course," he smiled. He shut the door with a firm click and went beyond the tree, hidden from view.

'Uchiha Sasuke.' That was his name, wasn't it. That was his _name. _

Uchiha Sasuke didn't remember driving home. His thoughts were busy.

"_It's cause I'm jealous, I think."  
_"_Of who?"  
_"_Them. HIM. Aniki.. He takes 'em. Fucks 'em. Throwsem away. He'snot 'fraid of hurting 'em."  
_"_You are afraid of hurting other people?"  
_"_Fuck no. Screw 'em.. He treats'em like.. fads. Like styles. Not people. I didn't care b'fore.. I didn't care cause he wasn't fucking my friends b'fore."  
_"_Naruto."  
_"_I'm jealous."  
_"_Because he has Naruto?"  
_"_Cause hecan DO IT."  
_"_What, Sasuke-san?"  
_"_Hecan screw 'em over and not get hurt. He's fearless. Tha's what I'm jealous of. For. He can treat them like shit cause** he never gets attached.**"_

"_You shouldn't drink any more sake, Sasuke."  
_" _..'Sa-ke' 'Sas-kay' that's kinda funn-. Hey! Gimme that back!"  
_"_I think you're done drinking for the night-OOF."  
_"_You're kinda girly, didja know?"  
_"_I'm aware, Sasuke-san. You're heavy."  
_"_You'd prolly be a pretty..girl.."  
_"_What are you doing, Sas-"  
_"_I think I'm gonna kiss-"  
_"_..!"  
_"_-you."_

Sasuke's headache was nothing compared to his embarrassment and shame. It was later he realized that he wasn't the only one feeling that way, when he made it back to his front door around midnight. His hand was inches from the doorknob when it twisted and opened by itself. Sasuke was face-to-face with Naruto for about a split second before the young man turned his blue eyes downward, avoiding Sasuke's gaze.

Naruto Uzumaki stopped at the threshold. Sasuke was blocking the way out. Moments passed. Silence. Not a wisecrack. Not a single word. What to say...

"I took Haku home."

Naruto seemed to shrink into himself even further, looking lower at the floor. Embarrassment. Guilt. Shame.

"I'm sorry. I should have-"  
"Don't worry about it."  
"No, Haku was my responsi-"  
"It's okay."

It's okay, Naruto, he wanted to say. Because Sasuke noticed the absence of his brother. Itachi wasn't even seeing the blonde out the door. It was wrong. The whole thing was wrong, and Naruto Uzumaki knew it. Sasuke saw it in him. Naruto's relationship with Itachi was hardly even that, and Naruto wanted something normal. Something stable. Something believable.

At the threshold, Naruto wasn't believing it. And Sasuke saw it.

"It's okay, Naruto," _Even though it's not._

Blonde and orange hair with a wry smile tinted sickly in the front porch light.

"See you, bastard."

Sasuke stepped to the right, and let Naruto Uzumaki pass, the apartment beyond the doorway dark and silent.

* * *

Coming up next: somethin between a lime and a lemon, and..well the rest of chapter four.

Review, Prease?

I am totally digging some of these new System of a Down songs that are coming out. :Nodz:


	6. you have poured yours Part Two

Bjorkfan: TWO- mwah. hah. hah. thanks to you guys who've reviewed.

Y'all know i'm worth less than overcooked ramen when it comes to updating at a decent if not consistent pace.

Uhg. My cat's in heat. Just.. shoot me now.

Disclaimer: Song's not mine. Characters aren't mine. Get over it.

* * *

Chapter Four: "You Have Poured Yours." Part 2. 

The kitten never seemed to leave him alone. Constantly butting Sasuke's face with it's triangular head, getting in the way of some picture of Itachi's he had found. Somehow he was aware that it was a picture of Haku. He wanted to see the picture, despite the fact that he also knew it would disturb him. But the stupid cat was in the way.

Sasuke's eyes slid open as he sat up. The alarm went off a few moments later. He stared at it. Blinked. The very first thought he had that morning was _'not enough sleep.'_ There was a crisp chill throughout the house that gave Sasuke the impression that it was snowing outside.

Sasuke was walking down the hall to the bathroom before his brain could collect itself. Consequently, it was being dragged behind by a muddy, knotted fishing line, and it didn't catch up for awhile. There was a shower, some clothes, a short hunt for his cellphone, his brown leather jacket, and his car keys. Nod at Itachi. Scrape snow off of windshield. Defrost. Sip coffee. No thought processes needed.

It wasn't until he was washing his hands in the bathroom did his brain reel in at the far end of the bookstore where he worked. It probably wouldn't even had happened if he hadn't caught a glance of himself in the mirror.

His hair was askew. Leather jacket. Black long sleeve shirt. White cargo pants. The stereotypical aura of a mild hangover. He patted stray ends into place and walked along the bookshelves to the other end of the store to the coffee shop where is boss and apron waited.

Some of the regulars had come. None of the Tapeworms. The few small smiles of soon-to-be-caffeinated appreciation did little to shake Sasuke out of his weird surreal mood. The morning flew by. Tsunade informed him that he was to train a new employee sometime the following week. He was about to clock out when Haku meandered into the sitting area of the cafe. Black vans. White jeans. Blood red turtleneck. Thick white coat.

"Haku?"

"Ah, hello Sasuke-kun." Haku didn't seem to mind or notice the slight grim pause Sasuke had needed to digest the honorific.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, thought I'd drop in to say hi," he said, glancing thoughtfully at the numerous bookshelves beyond the sitting area, then at the display case of various cheesecakes, muffins, and individual packages of breakfast cereal.

Sasuke found himself almost.. giddy, even though Haku's explanation was far from believable. He raised an eyebrow. He hadn't told Haku where he worked. The young man looked up, long dark hair framing a seemingly innocent and flushed face.

"Alright, so I didn't actually know you worked here. I just like books."

Piles and piles of paperbacks and manuscripts flashed through Sasuke's mind for a fleeting moment. Haku's smile grabbed his attention.

"That's more plausible."

Haku laughed then suddenly looked at him in wonder, in his playful manner. "Kismet, maybe?"

"..Pardon?"  
"Kismet. Fate! I suppose we were meant to see each other again, Sasuke-kun," he laughed.

(a/n, insert fluffy anime sparkles here.)

"Sure... How'd you get here?" Sasuke asked, amused.  
"Oh, I walked," Haku said nonchalantly.  
"You walked."  
"Yes..?"  
"But.. we're not even close to your house, and it's snowing outside!"  
"I suppose it is. Would you like to accompany me out to lunch, Sasuke-kun?"

And just like that, the subject was randomly dropped. Just like that Sasuke was sucked in. The hangover seeped away, and his afternoon was filled with striking moments that would stand out in his mind for days.

Light filtering down on Haku's hair. Shy eyes. Lotus smile. Hot chocolate steaming in the crisp air.

Haku looked so warm with a rosy tinge on his cheeks, snow fluttering down. Lunch turned into late afternoon. They strolled around a strip mall, not buying anything, but having fun just the same. Elementary kids were out having snowball fights. The daylight was fading quickly, though it wasn't quite evening yet. They caught a movie. Sasuke didn't remember much of it. Just Haku's smiling face in the changing colors bouncing off the projector screen.

They came out of the theater, laughing about nothing. (a/n oh the fluff.) Sasuke glanced at his watch. He stopped dead in the snow.

Oh. Class. Shit.

"Aaaah."  
"What is it?"  
"I am a little late for class."

He would not have a panic attack. He would not have a panic attack.

"You have school? Tonight?"  
"Yeah.. Just a late night Trig class. Nothing important,"

Wince. Every class is fucking important. Reputation. Attendance. Crap Crap Crap Crap, "-I don't really have to go-"

Yes. Yes he does.

"No no no, you are going! You will not miss class because of me! The guilt is horrible karma. Very lethal!"  
"...Lethal?"  
"Shush! Go to class!"  
"..But... Waitaminute, you need to go home-"

Haku pointed at the bus stop that seemed to have magically appeared next to them. Snow covered the top half of the sign, partially obscuring the very two-dimensional blue bus icon.

"I will take the bus. Go to class."

Well, that was just a little too convenient.

"No way. I'm not going to leave you here to freeze to death."  
"Yes you will, and I'm not going to freeze to death. The bus is just down the street and headed this way. Look."

Indeed, there was a large blue and white bus making its way down the road, stopping at another bus stop.

"I even have a bus-pass," Haku sing-songed. Sasuke wasn't convinced.  
"...How do you know it's the right bus?"  
"I know," Haku stated simply.

Sasuke squinted at the bus. Haku's street name flashed briefly on the digital display hovering over the driver's window. He raised an eyebrow at the shorter man.

"..Okay I'm kinda weirded out."  
"Go to class!"  
"I'll wait until you get on this bus of yours."

And he turned to the bus stop, crossed his arms, and waited. Sasuke's insides were having mild seizures about being late, and being even later, but his legs really didn't want to leave.

Haku was still facing him. After about fifteen seconds of silence, he huffed.

"If I kiss you, will you go?"

Sasuke whipped his head to his left with a bewildered look on his face.

"..Pard- ..par.. WHAT?"  
"If I kiss you, will you go?"

Haku appeared to be completely serious. Those brown eyes were staring at Sasuke so pointedly that he was stunned into silence. Not about to wait for an answer, Haku stood on tiptoe and smacked him one right on the lips. It wasn't anything special, and if had been anyone else, Sasuke thought, it would have left something to be desired. But it was Haku, and those warm lotus lips were silk against his, and Sasuke's brain didn't recover until he was halfway to campus.

* * *

Fashionably late is only applied to those who aren't worried about punctuality. Needless to say, Sasuke was a nervous wreck. But the stress only came and went at intervals, broken up by the smug twitch of his lips that couldn't seem to leave his face for more than a few moments. 

Basic Trigonometry. No sweat. Just another class to get out of the way. Prof Umino seemed to have already covered the lesson and was sitting at his desk going over various stacks of papers. He shot Sasuke a glance as he walked into the room, but said nothing. Sasuke felt his nerves lighten up a bit. No lecture about "College Student Responsibility" tonight. Nice. He slinked to an empty seat and copied down the page numbers of the next handful of assignments from the board.

A glance to his left gave him Shikamaru boredly trying not to fall asleep. He was probably done with most of the assignments for the rest of the semester, and didn't really need to be present; he seemed to come to class only to humor the Professor. Beyond him were Sakura and Ino, trying to figure out some difference between the two graphs they ended up with for the same calculator problem.

A glance to his right gave him Naruto, who at the moment seemed engrossed in some sort of advanced placement English literature book, while writing down paragraph after paragraph of some disgustingly detailed essay. There was a giant stack of books on the blonde's table, only one of them was for Trig, and it was at the bottom.

Sasuke shifted his attention to his own Trig book, glancing over the chapter's lesson, piecing together the new methods that he had missed in Umino's teaching. Just as he started the first problem, Naruto's phone vibrated, a chittering sound buried under mass amounts of paper somehow stuffed past explosion in a messenger bag that read "Bag of Holding."

Sasuke's eyebrow quirked a little at the bag, but altogether wasn't interested. His thoughts were partly on math, but mostly on Haku.

"_I had a lot of fun, Sasuke-kun."  
_"_You just kissed me."  
_"_Don't pretend you didn't like it. I see that smirk."  
_"_So.. I only have one class tonight-"  
_"_Oh? And then?"  
_"_.. And then I think I'd like to have dinner with you."  
_"_How nice."  
_"_Very. Would you like to be there?"  
_"_Certainly. Now go to class."_

Let's see. French cuisine? Too frilly. Steak house? Too loud. Japanese? Too..normal.

Naruto hissed. "Itachi? What is it? I'm in class, are you okay?"

Sasuke's attention perked up despite himself. A moment of digital mumbling that sounded like his brother. Naruto pausing. Then sighing.

"I have essays tonight-"

Sasuke stole a glance. Naruto didn't look any better than he had the night before when he had left the Uchihas' apartment.

He looked like some kind of important piece of paper that had been crumpled by accident and then carefully unfolded, left with unsightly crinkles.

Naruto seemed overused. Weary. And there was something ...dark on his neck. His hair covered it up but when he leaned forward to put his forehead in his free hand, the blonde and orange strands shifted and Sasuke was rewarded.

It was the blackest hickey Sasuke had ever seen. Sasuke's stomach spasmed a moment, but got over it. He looked away. Tried to work on that first math problem. Didn't remember glancing back again.

"Can't it wait?"

Naruto sat up, leaned his head back, the free hand fiddling with the edges of a spiral notebook.

"No, I **do** care about your work, 'Tachi, you know I do-"

Sasuke saw Naruto helplessly lost in a sea of textbooks, papers, and essays, all afloat on a tiny little cellphone.

"Okay. Okay. Tonight. I will. See you..."

A pause. A lonely wait for Itachi to say three little words. Sasuke heard a faint click of his brother hanging up and the silence that followed. Naruto Uzumaki sat perfectly still but seemed to deflate. He continued to work at an even faster pace on his current paper, cellphone balanced on top of the pile of college books.

The hair is different. Eyes are blue, instead. The mouth, thinner. Chapped. The smile is fake.

* * *

"Has Naruto told you anything about my brother?" 

Haku's eyes flutter at the abruptness of the conversation. They had been eating silently in the little Italian restaurant, his fork poised in the act of spearing a bit of lasagna.

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke had on his brooding face, glancing out the window into the snow-covered street, glittering in the streetlights. Manicotti half-eaten, pushed aside.

"I don't know. Something. Anything." Sasuke says, taking a sip of water.

"You are worried about Naruto."

Sasuke looked at Haku, waiting for his brain to come up with something to say. Maybe to deny the fact. Maybe to confirm it. Haku tilted his head to the left. Sasuke blinks once, twice. The brain doesn't even attempt a response. Sasuke shifts back to the window, focusing now on his reflection.

He did appear to look rather worried, he noticed.

Haku took a bite, chewed a moment. Swallowed. He said, "He doesn't say much. But, he doesn't need too."

A pause. He continued.

"I ..would like to be the one to tell Naruto that, as nice as he is, Itachi is not right for him."

Sasuke snorted. 'Nice' was not exactly the way he would describe his brother, though Itachi wasn't necessarily cruel either.

"But, it would be hypocritical of me."

Sasuke faced Haku at that. Haku was looking down at his plate.

"I know.. what it's like to be in a relationship that appears to be rather one-sided," he said quietly, and then ate another bit of food. His fork clinked against the dinnerware. Sasuke didn't know who Haku was talking about, and he didn't feel he was on good enough ground to ask.

Haku suddenly looked up, pleasant smile on his face. "What brings this up, Sasuke?"

The smile looked fake for a moment. A brief hint of blonde hair and blue eyes and strange scars.

"I think Naruto has been giving up school to be with Itachi. It's none of my business, but still it bothers me."

"That is understandable. He is your friend."

Sasuke grimaced. " More like bane of my existence."

He looked out the window again. Spoke to the yellow streetlights that looked so lonely on the deserted white street.

"Even so, it is his personal life. I have no right to even have an opinion about the whole thing."

Haku place a hand on Sasuke's arm. He ripped his head away from the window and saw Haku smile. It was genuine.

"You can't stop yourself from feeling, Sasuke-kun."

Yes he could. He'd done it before. He'd been doing it for a very long time.  
It had just been a bit more difficult lately.

* * *

"Thank you for dinner, Sasuke-kun, " Haku said as they were walking back to his car. Sasuke felt an arm snake around him and a lithe body mold itself to his. He stiffened at first.. but it was.. nice. 

"S'nothin," he replied, and put an arm around his companion. What was this about? Did this mean that they were.. what, together? Dating? Or does personal space mean something completely different to Haku than it did to Sasuke?

Either way, he wasn't about to let go. It felt warm. Different. New.

"So, what should we do now?" He asked.

Haku shrugged against him, looking down as he playfully kicked up snow. Sasuke suddenly stopped walking, bringing Haku to a halt.

"Where the heck did I park?"

There was a small moment of silence. Then Haku abruptly laughed and pointed behind them.

"We passed it Sasuke-kun."  
"You're distracting, you know that?" Sasuke grumbled.

Haku moved some strands of long hair behind his ear, grinning. "Ha, I'm sorry for being such a public menace..."

"Well, I wouldn't take it to that extreme. That'd be Naruto."

They laughed. They were driving out of the parking lot when Haku asked him suddenly if he had a fireplace in his apartment.

"Yes.. That was random."  
"I didn't think to look for one the last time I was there."  
"Uh-huh.. So why is this important?"  
"Let's go to your place. Watch another movie. Unless it's too late... I don't want to keep you up all night and have you be tired for work in the morning. That is, if you have work in the morning."

Sasuke's mind reeled at the implications of 'keeping him up all night.' Which then reminded him of the fact that Itachi and Naruto may be at his apartment already. He'd rather not have a repeat of the previous night.

"Yes. ER. No, it's not a problem and yes, I have work but that doesn't matter. Why not your place?"  
"Ah- Zabuza's things are all packed up- the place is very, um. Boxy."

"Boxy, huh? Zabuza's moving?" Sasuke said, as they passed the turn to Haku's home.

"Yes. ...And no fireplace."  
"Alright. My place it is."

Haku chuckled.

"Wait, what's with the fireplace?"  
"I just like sitting by a fire. Sounds warm, ne?"  
"You're a pyromaniac, aren't you."

Once again there is a meeting at the front door of the Uchihas' apartment. Before Sasuke can unlock it, the doorknob magically twisted and opened revealing a short blonde and a tall brunette. The first ten seconds of conversation wasn't very coordinated.

"Naruto!"  
"Where are you going."  
"Where have you been."  
"Haku!...? What are you doing here?"

Naruto's question rang loudest and strangest, at least to Sasuke, and the group fell silent to let the boy answer.

"We are just going to watch a movie. What are you two up to?" Haku said with a smile.

Naruto gave a strange look to Haku, a small glance to Sasuke, and then an even stranger look to Haku again.

"Uhhh, goin to my apartment. Tachi says he needs the open space of my place." He shrugs. " So, what about you? Are you excited? Zabuza's coming back soon, isn't he?"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning. Early."

The conversation continued. Itachi listened in what appeared to be mild disinterest, though he kept giving one of those silent talking looks to Sasuke, which for some reason the younger man couldn't read. Sasuke kept glancing from his brother to Haku, and both confusing him. He didn't know what his brother was trying to tell him, and Haku was acting very.. guarded. Not cheery at all. Just..emotionless.

Something besides his brother was nagging at him in the back of his brain. Whatever Naruto was talking about was dangerous territory, and Haku didn't seem to like it.

"Do you know if he decided on anything in particular?"

"I don't know for sure. Last I talked to him he was still looking at some properties."

No polite little smiles. A permanent frown. No squinting, happy eyes. Dead ones. Not even a tilt of the head. Sasuke never could picture Haku as anything other than a sweet effeminate man who wouldn't harm a fly, but if Haku acted like this on a daily basis, he could almost be scary.

Eventually, Sasuke's curiosity got the best of him.

"What's going on?"

Haku looked up at him, his normal smile abruptly on his face.

"Zabuza-san is moving to Japan."

Sasuke lifted his eyebrows in minor understanding and watched as Naruto and Haku shared another look that he couldn't read. Sasuke visibly saw Naruto's expression slide from concern (or suspicion, he couldn't tell which) to his fox-grinning mask. The blonde then cheerily said goodbye, leading Itachi down the stairs. Before his head disappeared from view, Itachi shot one more glance at his little brother. It looked something like "Don't get in over your head," but, that just didn't make sense.

Don't get involved with Haku, maybe? Sasuke bristled. Screw Itachi. Sasuke was on the brink of something that felt a lot like happiness, and he wasn't about to let his brother ruin it for him. Itachi didn't need any more of Sasuke's acquaintances to manipulate.

The strange conversation still floating around half-forgotten in the back of his mind, Sasuke led Haku in the apartment. He shut and locked the door, and was tempted to lock the deadbolt just for his Aniki. In the end Sasuke resisted, and turned around to be nose to nose with Haku.

Instead of taking advantage of the situation, Sasuke deadpanned, "I knew you were trying to seduce me."

Haku scrunched up his eyebrows and did his best not to laugh. He snorted.

"That wasn't my intention at all," Haku said through a half-hidden grin.

"Sure."  
"No, really.. that wasn't my _exact_ plan, but ..."  
"But what."  
"I think I like yours better..?"

Sasuke was flushed beyond all reason. But he kept his cool.

"I think you should go pick a movie."

Haku looked incredulous. Sasuke shrugged.

"At least it'll look like we _attempted_ to watch it," he grinned. Haku tilted his head a little and blushed. Then went to the shelf of DVD's, chuckling.

"Perhaps I should pick a boring one? One that we'd lose interest in quickly?" Haku said over his shoulder.

Nerve endings burned though his fingers and toes. He played along.

"Ah but that would be suspicious. Anyone could see right through it-"  
"Ohhh. So I pick a really interesting one?"  
"But one that we've already seen. So-"  
"So we still lose interest. You are so very evil Sasuke-kun."

Haku then gave Sasuke the most sultry look he'd ever seen in his life. Something in his pants almost, **almost **twitched. Nearly lost his composure there. Sasuke smirked.

"I'll go grab some drinks." He praised all that was holy that his voice didn't give away anything. And he went to the kitchen.

This is wrong. This is very wrong. This was all a joke, right? They weren't seriously having a discussion about covering up their tracks were they? They weren't actually hinting at doing something very intimate in the living room by the fireplace just now, right? Right. This was just a joke. A dirty joke, but just that.

It was a very convincing joke.

He glanced around the front of the fridge to get a glimpse of Haku. He already had a movie running through the opening previews on mute and was poking around the fireplace. Sasuke placed his drinks on the coffee table and meandered to Haku, leaning against the wall.

"Is ..this.. wood?" Internal twitch. Wood. Great. Now everything was a sexual innuendo.

"No." Sasuke flicked a light switch. The fireplace immediately crackled to life. Haku appeared to be transfixed by the idea of a gas fireplace. Light played on his face and bounced off his hair.

Quick Sasuke, say something Itachi would say. Seduce this beautiful man.

"So.. what will you do when Zabuza moves?"

God damn it.

Though, thinking about it... If Haku didn't want to live in that big townhouse all by his lonesome, stashing him in Sasuke's closet didn't seem like a bad idea.

Things went quiet. The mood changed abruptly as Haku stared into the fire.

"I will be very lonely."

Sasuke stood up from the wall and turned to Haku. He..must be really close to Zabuza or something..

"You two..have known each other long?"  
"Since I was a small child."

Such a quiet, soft voice.

"So I imagine you two are very close."  
"You could say that."

But it was so hollow.

Sasuke saw his own hand. Stared at it like it had been dismembered and was suddenly moving of its own accord. It brushed some smooth tendrils of Haku's hair from the side of his face. Then, he said something so incredibly Naruto, he internally cringed.

"Good thing you have me then, huh."

Holy mother of... Could he possibly lack any _more_ finesse?

Haku turned away from the fire, a small smile on his lips. Tip-toeing, nose to nose.

"I do hate being lonely," The smaller man smirked. Abruptly the mood changed again.

And abruptly, the idea of stashing him permanently naked in the bathtub didn't sound bad, either.

"Then maybe we should take care of th-"

What was Sasuke thinking? He's going along with this? He's only known Haku for what- a day and a half? This isn't right. This is very wrong. He's fanning the flame. He's not even trying to stop this. Haku doesn't seem to mind a single bit. Something is wrong. Something was off about the whole thing.Sasuke should care about this. But he's just helping the situation right along to the ending that sounded so very much like what Itachi would do...

God, butwere Haku's lips intoxicating.

And those tiny hands were firm and soft all at once. They were lingering along the hem of his shirt and the warmth, god the warmth just pouring off of him..

A cog turned and Sasuke suddenly became aware that he was against the wall again, Haku leaning on him, devouring his mouth. Although rather pleasant,this hit some sort of nerve, some instinct in him to _not take that kind of shit._ With a growl he pulled Haku to his left and delicately smothered him into the wall.

Haku had the most wonderful smile on his face. It said so many things that appealed to that growling part of Sasuke.

It screamed Do it again.

So he smothered harder. Pressed his body into that soft, yielding frame, hearing Haku's breath rush out of him. That mouth.. That mouth was ridiculously delicious. He had to bite it. Suck it between his teeth. There was black hair everywhere, tangling in his hands.

Another cog turned and a new instinct told Sasuke to bring this creature to a bed. Now.

This wasn't like him. Sasuke was in control, but not of himself. He was feeling dangerous. Ruthless. Without sympathy for Haku's wrist that he had clamped his hand on and was dragging down the hallway. Haku was smiling blissfully.

You are in charge.  
You want this.  
I am here for your dispense.

_Do it again._

Two seconds to shut the door, one slow-motion second to lock it. A year of a moment to turn off the light. Then everything was a painfully addicting blur. Small hands discarded his clothes. Everything discarded. The bed suddenly appeared. Nipples and skin and hickeys and saliva and his heart. His heart was dying. Fast forward. So blurry. Soft hands and lips and..

And then suddenly everything ground to an abrupt emergency-brake halt. Everything was tear-jerkingly slow, and hot. So very hot. Impossibly hot. Their erections met and time stopped. All sensations exploded out of proportion. His mind was blown out of the water.

Sasuke could not move. Hot. Velvet. Smooth. Crazy. Then the creature moved under him. A tiny rock of the hips that couldn't be felt until a split second later, like placing a hand on a hot stove and then suddenly crying out in pain.

Once more. Asobbing hiss from the both of them, sounds entangling with each other, ringing loudly but distantly in the ear. Grind. Rock. Breathe. Such an intense feeling that needed to be doubled. Tripled. Faster.

And the world was a blur again. Bed creaking as Sasuke pressed his hips further into that insane sensation. The man under him was so submissive that it was even past humor. It fueled that primal part of him beyond all coherent thought.

Another cog turned. Suddenly Sasuke could hear everything. The slide of skin on skin. The groans from his own mouth. Those keening whimpers from Haku. A blur of lotion in dim light, then one finger. Then two. Such a pale, writhing body, rubbing against strangely loud cotton sheets. A pillow hitting the floor in a "whooph." Haku's muffled, choking sobs as he bites the back of his hand. The headboard banging into the wall.

That strange, satisfying sound, probably more felt than heard, of entering someone else's body.

Impossible. Impossible heat and texture and tightness. To Sasuke, all sounds had disappeared except his own coarse breathing. The air itself didn't have any usable oxygen anymore. There was a rhythm somewhere. Somehow established. But so fast. So blurry. Sweat clung to everything. He suddenly could hear Haku, panting, whining, screaming. Felt him coming. Here. Gone. Spasming around him. No one in the world could be doing anything else than _this_. Everything else would be dropped, put aside. No one died, no one cried, no guns were fired, everyone, EVERYONE must be having sex right now-

It felt as if Sasuke camefor everyone all at once, the entire world screaming in pleasure.

* * *

So, that would be your run of the mill, abstract, quite possibly crack, sex scene. Purely expirimental on my part. Personally, what..do you guys.. think?

Yeah, it's nothing like Fog. (see profile.) but.. yeah. I was trying to convey the delirous aspect of sex, as opposed to the visual, cream-your-panties aspect. which seems like an unfair trade-off, but .. meh.

i felt like it.

"What about the stuff that happens right after sex? What about pulling out? What about collapsing with a giant smile on your face? What about the obligatory "I love you, I love you too?""

SCREW YOU. Tell me. Personally _let me know_ the next time you have sex and you orgasm and you actually **remember** all that stuff before you pass out. Really. And if you do, is it story-worthy? truthfully?

Oh but girls don't pass out after having an orgasm. They gotta have to post-coital sex talk.

One,

I PASS OUT,

And Two,

there haven't been any girls having sex in this story, SO HAH

(growl.)

coming up next.. uhhh. The plot twist? Wait. Lemme go find my drafts... right here it is.

"Sasuke gets some phone messages."

Oh gee. That's helpful. Okay.. so yeah. Plot twistage! And then after that chapter, a mini 1st-person p.o.v from Sasuke. Posted at the same time. (hopefully.) It'll be really disturbing, I promise. (beams)

-bjorkfan


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